Firefighters rescued a motorist who on Monday night, Dec. 7, crashed down an
embankment at the Riverside interchange, walked 150 yards to find help â" and
then fell into a two-story-deep construction trench.

âHe could have stayed where he was (in the crashed SUV), but it still would
have been hard to find him,â Battalion Chief Bill Stamper said of the motorist
believed to be in his mid-20s. âIn the daylight, you would have had construction
people all over the place. But it seemed like it took us 30 minutes to come upon
him.â

The two hour search-and-rescue effort by nearly 20 Riverside city
firefighters searching and working in the shadows of the interchange ended with
the man being hoisted out of the trench and taken to a hospital for treatment of
back pain and a possible broken leg. His name was not available.

The crash happened about 7 p.m. when the motorist â" traveling alone â"
collided with another vehicle near the junction of the westbound lanes of
Highway 60 and the northbound lanes of Interstate 215, according to the
California Highway Patrol website.

Using a cell phone, the man stayed in contact with fire department
dispatchers, who tried to direct fire crews to him. Apparently uninjured after
the crash, he crawled out of the SUV and walked about the length of 1-1/2
football fields in the dark to a point beneath the interchange.

âHe stumbled into an open trench â¦ (for a) large diameter drainage pipe,â
Stamper said. âThatâs where he sustained his injuries.â

The rescue presented technical challenges, because the victim was at the
bottom of an 18-feet-deep trench, the walls of which could have collapsed,
burying him and any nearby rescuers.

Crews used plywood sheeting to shore up the trench walls, and then used
ropes, winches, harnesses and a rescue litter to hoist him to safety. An hour
later, he was safe.

The two-hour effort went largely unnoticed by passing motorists.

âThey donât even know weâre out here,â Stamper said by phone from the scene.
âWeâre hidden by overpasses, trestles and bridges.â

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